This report provides an update on issues affecting federal managers. As always, I encourage you to visit www.fedmanagers.org on a regular basis for more information on these and other matters.

Also, be sure to look for the monthly FMA Grassroots Update, where we offer links to action letters and FMA-PAC matters we do not address in the Washington Report. The grassroots newsletter is sent exclusively to non-governmental email addresses to avoid any Hatch Act violations. If you are not receiving it, contact the national office to provide your non-governmental email address.

Please feel free to provide feedback any time by emailing Greg Stanford at gstanford@fedmanagers.org or by calling the National Office at (703) 683-8700. Thank you for your membership in FMA. It’s an honor to represent your interests before Congress and the administration.

President Joe Biden signed a Continuing Resolution (CR) into law on Saturday, September 30, narrowly averting a government shutdown and keeping government open through November 17, 2023. Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Craig Carter wrote every member of the House and Senate to urge them to prevent a shutdown and expressed relief in a statement following the CR’s passage and signature into law.

However, Carter noted the toll it takes on federal managers and the country when legislators consistently come to the brink of a government shutdown. "In recent weeks, federal managers have been preparing for a potential shutdown, wasting precious time and resources,” Carter wrote. “Delaying appropriations and flirting with government shutdowns results in egregious costs and waste, even if a shutdown is averted. It takes significant time and resources for agencies to prepare for a potential shutdown. Private sector businesses would never manage their budgets this way, and neither should Congress.”

The House of Representatives voted to vacate the office of the Speaker on Tuesday, October 3, in a historic 216-210 vote, removing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the position. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is serving as Speaker Pro Tempore until the House elects a new Speaker.

The House went into recess for the remainder of the legislative week, and will begin the process of electing a new Speaker of the House during the week of October 9. Most analysts expect this process to be contentious and could potentially take many weeks to resolve. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) are among those vying to replace Rep. McCarthy as Speaker. McCarthy announced he will not seek reelection.

For 62 consecutive years, Congress has come together on a bipartisan basis to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA faces a number of challenges as conferees from the House and Senate work to iron out the differences between their two versions to get it to President Biden’s desk.

The Senate version had a straightforward path. The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced it by a vote of 24-1 and the full Senate approved the measure by a strong bipartisan vote of 86-11. The House version is a different story entirely. The bill was largely non-controversial as considered by the House Armed Services Committee and passed by a vote of 58-1. However, it was amended on the floor of the House and passed by a narrow, party-line vote of 219-210. The House adopted a number of amendments on the House floor related to abortion, transgender health care and diversity and inclusion that eroded support from House Democrats.

On October 4, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, reintroduced legislation (S. 3029) that would increase death gratuities and funeral allowances for federal employees. FMA endorsed this bipartisan legislation, which is cosponsored by Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).

On September 20, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability approved the Cannabis Users Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act (H.R. 5040) by a vote of 30-14, advancing the bill for consideration by the full House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), would prevent prior marijuana use from becoming grounds for being found unsuitable for federal employment or failing to receive security clearance. The bill is also cosponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

“The CURE Act will also allow for someone who has previously been denied a security clearance or a federal job opportunity based on marijuana use the chance to have that denial reviewed,” Raskin said in a statement. “The bipartisan passage of the CURE Act through the Oversight Committee moves the federal government towards recognizing the widely established legal use of medical and recreational cannabis,” Raskin said.